Cleaning Aligners Instructions: Essential Tips for a Brighter Smile
Your journey to a straighter smile is an exciting one, and maintaining the cleanliness of your aligners is a crucial part of the process. Aligners, such as other clear orthodontic trays, can accumulate plaque, bacteria, and odors if not cleaned properly. In this blog article, we will provide you with essential instructions for cleaning your aligners, ensuring your treatment remains effective, hygienic, and odor-free.
Three rules to treatment with clear aligners:
- Wear them 20 to 22 hours a day and change to the new set every 2 weeks
- Don’t eat or drink anything other than flat water with aligners in.
- Brush or at least rinse with water after eating/drinking before putting aligners back in.
Cleaning aligners:
- Always clean the aligner before putting it on and after removing it. Always rinse it thoroughly with water and keep it in a box when you are not wearing it.
- Clean them with liquid soap (dish or hand), a soft toothbrush, and cool water (Do NOT use hot water as it will deform the aligners).
- You can also use a toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning. However, if you choose toothpaste with abrasive particles, it can leave scratches on the surface of the aligner. For hygienic reasons, you should use a different toothbrush to clean the aligner than your teeth. Alternatively, you can also clean the aligner with dishwashing liquid (Attention: Do not use hot water!)
Cleaning aligners:
- Always clean the aligner before putting it on and after removing it. Always rinse it thoroughly with water and keep it in a box when you are not wearing it.
- Clean them with liquid soap (dish or hand), a soft toothbrush, and cool water (Do NOT use hot water as it will deform the aligners).
- You can also use a toothbrush and toothpaste for cleaning. However, if you choose toothpaste with abrasive particles, it can leave scratches on the surface of the aligner. For hygienic reasons, you should use a different toothbrush to clean the aligner than your teeth. Alternatively, you can also clean the aligner with dishwashing liquid (Attention: Do not use hot water!)
Caring for your aligners:
- When not in your mouth, your aligners should be in your protective case. Avoid putting them anywhere else as the possibility of them getting misplaced/damaged or thrown away is very high.
- Keep aligners away from pets and children!
- Keep your aligners away from heat, they will disform because they are plastic.
Use chewies:
- Do the chewing exercises every day for 5-10 minutes to help your aligners fully seat around your teeth.
- Bite on the chewie, holding 3-5 seconds. Then move to a different area of the mouth and bite and hold again for 3-5 seconds.
Use chewies:
- Do the chewing exercises every day for 5-10 minutes to help your aligners fully seat around your teeth.
- Bite on the chewie, holding 3-5 seconds. Then move to a different area of the mouth and bite and hold again for 3-5 seconds.
Keep your previous aligners:
- Sometimes aligners get lost, and you go a few days without wearing them. Your teeth may shift back and you may need to find the best-fitting previous aligner to move on from there.
Contact your Poème Align consultant immediately
- If you lose your clear aligners.
- If a clear aligner attachment(s) comes off.
Contact your Poème Align consultant immediately
- If you lose your clear aligners.
- If a clear aligner attachment(s) comes off.
How to correctly put on and take off aligner
- To put on:
Place the aligner over your front teeth. Then press the aligner firmly against your teeth with your fingertips, starting from the front, all the way to the molars. - To take off:
Use your fingertips to remove the aligner, starting from the molars. Tip: Reach under the aligner from behind your teeth (the side of your teeth facing the tongue). If necessary, you can use the enclosed aligner-removal hook.
